Woman’s Hour
Margaret Thatcher was called many things during her lifetime, from the nation’s saviour to a she-devil; but an aberration? A quarter of a century since she exited Downing Street, the likelihood of Labour or the Liberal Democrats electing a woman as leader, let alone the Conservatives, has never seemed less likely; and to be honest, it’s hard to think of a moment in the past twenty-five years when it seemed likely at all.
Perhaps one of the reasons why Nicola Sturgeon has made such an impact in the five short months since she was elected SNP leader is the simple fact that a woman leading a political party with actual political clout is such a rare sight. At the height of the moon-landings at the turn of the 1970s, most experts prophesised shuttle services to bases and colonies on the lunar surface would be an inevitability within a decade or two, yet it never happened; when the Iron Lady had made history by ascending to the pinnacle of politics in 1979, many probably thought this could well be the future, that she would blaze a trail for female politicians to follow. But it too never happened.
With the best will in the world, Leanne Wood and Natalie Bennett are not destined to be much more than a footnote in British politics, both leading minor parties whose current profile far outweighs their potential at the ballot box. Nicola Sturgeon, on the other hand, inherited the leadership of a party that was the largest in Scotland, one that had seized control of a traditional Labour stronghold in a bloodless coup that was perhaps the most telling example of just how dissatisfied a sizeable section of the electorate had become with the three main parties. Yet when Sturgeon replaced Alex Salmond as SNP leader, the party had just lost the greatest gamble of its life, a heavy body blow that could have seen it embark on a slow downward slide after the ultimate culmination of its decades-long raison d’être had ended in failure; yet, not only has she managed to re-energise the deflated spirits of the Yes campaigners, but she has increased the party’s support in the face of a weak and unconvincing Labour opposition.
There is a parallel General Election taking place north of the border. Down here, it’s Labour Vs the Tories; up there, it’s Labour Vs the SNP – and the outcome up there looks like it could be far more clear-cut than it could be down here. Scotland has always been Labour’s secret weapon, its strength-in-depth that has served it well and come to its rescue when the Tories have eaten into the party’s English fortresses. The prospect of Labour in Scotland facing the kind of annihilation the Conservatives experienced on a nationwide level in 1997 could cost the party dear on May 7, and Nicola Sturgeon knows this only too well.
Although I was (and remain) opposed to Scottish Independence, I cannot help but admire Sturgeon’s growing oratorical talents. During the televised leaders’ debates she capitalised on the fact that she was largely unfamiliar to the English electorate in much the same way as Nick Clegg did in 2010. But there’s a difference. Clegg approached the original leaders’ debates with nothing to lose and felt free to make promises he sensibly surmised he’d never have to keep; even when Clegg was caught unawares by his overnight impact, he became hopeful the sensational (if short-lived) surge in his popularity would be reflected in an increase of Lib Dem seats. Sturgeon, on the other hand, knows she is secure in Scotland and doesn’t have to concern herself with winning English seats or contemplating a phone call from David Cameron that would condemn her party to electoral oblivion. Therefore, her position is far stronger than Nick Clegg’s was five years ago.
With Labour dithering in the centre, having one foot leaning left and the other right, the SNP have stealthily claimed the ground of the old left, one that the Scottish electorate (unlike the English electorate) have remained largely faithful to. Nicola Sturgeon knows the majority of Scots wouldn’t object to the SNP propping up a Labour Government in England, whereas a vast swathe of the English will probably never forgive Nick Clegg for jumping into bed with David Cameron – nor, it has to be said, will many ever forgive Cameron for lifting up his duvet and gesturing for the Lib Dem leader to warm his feet.
For all Ed Miliband’s dismissal of an official Labour/SNP coalition and his unrealisable dreams of a Labour majority, Nicola Sturgeon is all-too-aware that Miliband will need SNP support at Westminster if he is to grab the keys to No.10. He’d no doubt settle for an ‘understanding’ along similar lines to the Lib-Lab pact that helped keep Jim Callaghan’s premiership afloat for a couple of years in the late 70s; but I can’t see Sturgeon settling for that. She knows her hand is too strong to play the compliant appendage to a Prime Minister leading a minority government; she’ll want more than that, and Miliband’s fear is that even if he heads a party whose MPs far outnumber those of the SNP at the Commons, he’ll still be unable to govern without taking the concerns of the Scots into consideration. His hands will be tied throughout his term of office, even more than Cameron’s have been during his own stint as a coalition PM.
Were she not so relentlessly driven by her determination for Scottish Independence, it’s possible Nicola Sturgeon could well be Labour leader herself; I think if she were, the result of the General Election would be easier to predict than it currently is and could well be more decisive. Whenever she takes to the podium, she comes across as being in possession of all the qualities that embody a strong leader, something that could hardly be said of Miliband; ditto Cameron, regardless of his absorption of the statesmanlike demeanour most Prime Ministers slip into like an especially comfy pair of old slippers.
I’m sure many in England who have suddenly taken notice of Nicola Sturgeon in the past few weeks, and feel overwhelmingly uninspired by Miliband, Cameron and Clegg, would actually quite like to vote for her; they may not agree with all of her policies, but then many who voted for Margaret Thatcher didn’t necessarily agree with all of hers; they took to her as a leader rather than as a Tory. Indeed, it would be interesting to see what might happen were the SNP allowed to field candidates at English constituencies; I’m not actually sure if there is any constitutional rule in place that forbids this. The name would probably work against them south of Berwick, however.
Neither Harriet Harman nor Theresa May, the two most senior female politicians belonging to the Labour and Tory camps respectively, strike me as having leadership potential. The minute Harman opens her mouth, she comes across as a colonial governor’s wife talking down to the natives, and May has the whiny vocal mannerisms of Mavis from ‘Coronation Street’. This probably means the Labour and Conservative parties will continue to be headed by men for the foreseeable future. If they’re good enough, it shouldn’t matter. But the fact that Nicola Sturgeon is a woman I think is another plus factor in her increasingly impressive armoury.
She would no doubt hate to be compared to Thatcher on an ideological level; but if someone told her she was the only politician in the country who possessed the same qualities that Mrs T had with regards to inspiring confidence in her as a leader of men, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t object.
Petunia Winegum
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April 23, 2015 at 9:14 am -
Women! Unite!…
“Thatcher was the motivation for my entire political career. I hated everything she stood for. This was the genesis of my nationalism. I hated the fact that she was able to do what she was doing and yet nobody I knew in my entire life had voted for her.”
http://www.scotsman.com/news/can-nicola-sturgeon-lead-snp-to-ultimate-victory-1-3598961-
April 23, 2015 at 10:15 am -
” yet nobody I knew in my entire life had voted for her.”
Ha! http://goo.gl/M5QNHn is a good statistical counter-argument.
Given the rather vicious nature of Scots’ political discussion, and Sturgeon’s in particular, I’m not surprised. Conservatives there, like Unionists during the Referendum, quietly vote. (Historically, Scotland was also a big supporter of Liberalism, in the old sense.)
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April 23, 2015 at 9:15 am -
She needs to get a decent hair stylist though as “Wee Jimmy Kranky” is not a good look.
My only objection to the woman is political, she wants Scottish Independence and will strive to get it, even if she has to alienate the entire UK electorate outside of Scotland to do so. It seems to me that her intention is to hold the UK government to ransom via an SNP/Labour coalition at a cost of some 180 billion pounds, which will be allocated solely to benefit the Scottish.
This is the obvious consequence of failing to deal with the West Lothian question, although the Tories have form here as well – the last two years of the John Major government were only possible due to support from Ulster unionists.
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April 23, 2015 at 9:24 am -
More the assertive Anne Robinson look I would say. I have been especially impressed by the makeover as she took over from chubby Alex. I saw her in one clip, all in red with killer heels. It’s noticeable that all the fems have glammed up post Blair-babes, whether you look at harman or May. The new feminist wave is nothing if it is not girly, which is possibly why it’s having much more success than the Womens Lib version.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/815000/images/_819040_sturgeon150.jpg
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April 23, 2015 at 9:36 am -
If we’re looking north of the border, may I suggest Ruth Davidson is much more appealing.
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April 23, 2015 at 9:40 am -
Looks like the march of the clones to me…
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sites/default/files/imagecache/400xY/2014/10/25602595.jpg
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April 23, 2015 at 9:36 am -
There’s something very fishy about the SNP. To me it’s a nightmare scenario – a Labour SNP coalition. With hindsight, I wish there had been a yes vote in the referendum. The sooner England can be rid of the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish the better in my opinion. I feel that an English parliament is long overdue. How is it that Wales and Northern Ireland can have an assembly, the Scots a parliament, but sod all for England? It seems to me that every country on the planet bar England is encouraged to celebrate their national culture. As soon as one mentions English nationalism one is branded as a Cross of Saint George flag waving, rascist, football hooligan.
Nicola Sturgeon comes across to me as a bile spouting, chip on the shoulder feminatzi. The thought of her as deputy PM makes me want to puke. Because, sure as eggs are eggs, that’s what she’ll demand from Milibland, and however much he denies it, he will jump at the chance to form a coalition with the SNP if it means he becomes PM. God help us all.
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April 23, 2015 at 9:37 am -
* As soon as one mentions English nationalism one is branded as a Cross of Saint George flag waving *
… except for today perhaps…
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April 23, 2015 at 2:37 pm -
The secret of comedy is…. timing!
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April 23, 2015 at 12:39 pm -
Surely Salmonella Sturgeon can’t be deputy Prime Minister as I understand she is not standing as a ‘British’ MP. If she remains purely as an MSP she will have to rule from Edinburgh or through her ‘bitch’ Salmond.
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April 23, 2015 at 2:39 pm -
This is true. Although nobody in the media seems interested in discussing it, it seems likely that Salmond will be the SNP’s leader in the Commons, with the obvious implication that if a DPM role is on offer, he’d be filling it.
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April 23, 2015 at 4:15 pm -
My view is that there would only be SNP Cabinet Members in a Labour Government if they had established a formal coalition, a la Cameron/Clegg. This seems unlikely, hence little scope for any SNP becoming the Deputy PM.
More likely, yet even more horrifying, is an informal support arrangement, whereby Salmond can hold Little Ed’s nuts to the fire whenever he wants, because there is no underlying ‘contract’ between them.
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April 23, 2015 at 10:01 am -
Thatcher was Keith Joseph’s stalking horse:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Joseph
Do you remember his puppet on Spitting Image? Neither do I.
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April 23, 2015 at 10:14 am -
a true friend of the feminist movement.
“He was one of twelve founder members of the NCSWD, the National Council for Single Woman and Her Dependants on 15 December 1965. “
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April 23, 2015 at 10:33 am -
How can she become deputy PM if she is neither an MP, nor a Member of the House of Lords?
She is a member of the Scottish Parliament, but that is quite a different thing.
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April 23, 2015 at 11:04 am -
Were she to need a seat, one of her lot would instantly resign and a by-election would deliver her able to serve a grateful nation. (I am not even sure that the PM has to be a member of either house – although convention certainly indicates that it is so.)
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April 23, 2015 at 11:24 am -
Sorry, but that is untenable, because the whole point of a Deputy PM is to act in his / her place during an absence from Parliament and to answer Prime Ministers Questions, which someone who is not a sitting MP would be unable to do.
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April 23, 2015 at 12:19 pm -
I noticed Nicola Stirit before she became the pert pink or yellow sticky up shouldered lady she has morphed into now. Pity she is so against us. I agree with Alex about the SNP and their canny lady. Voters can still make a difference by not splitting the vote. Simple really.
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April 23, 2015 at 12:37 pm -
” he’ll still be unable to govern without taking the concerns of the Scots into consideration. ”
I don’t really get this.
Surely in any matter of national importance (e.g. approving the defence estimates), it only needs 30 or 40 Tory opposition MP’s to vote with the government, and the SNP can go whistle, the vote will go against them.
Did I miss something?
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April 23, 2015 at 1:12 pm -
Er, since we Scots are still part of the UK, what’s the big problem with taking part in national government?
Last year, Cameron, Milliband & co were united in begging us to stay, telling us how much they love us, how the Union needs us. Just been having a read of the text of a speech that Cameron delivered just before the Referendum; it’s dripping with please for Scotland to stay in the Union:
“…a strong Scottish nation allied to the rest of the United Kingdom…
…with the benefits of working together in the UK on jobs, pensions, healthcare funding, the currency, interest rates. It really is the best of both worlds…
…the best way to get real change and secure a better future for your children and grandchildren…..
….A family of nations….
…that is quite simply how I feel about this. We are a family.”
Sorry Cameron, but when you’re living with family, you have to put up with them!Ms Winegum, thanks for this positive article about Sturgeon. You could have said a few words also about Ruth Davidson; I don’t agree with her politics, but I personally like her and think she has the potential to be just as good a First Minister as Sturgeon. She has a nicely dry sense of humour too (which Thatcher famously lacked).
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April 23, 2015 at 1:41 pm -
When one of your petulant adult children tells you that they hate you, demands unlimited access to your bank account without any veto from you, tells you that they will leave the door and window open with a big sign outside welcoming thieves, is an unemployed layabout who spends more on holidays, clothes, and cars than you ever afforded for yourself, and compounds the insult by overindulging in booze and drugs (and deep fried Mars Bars), then despite the fact that they are family, perhaps it is time to tell them to feck off and fund for themselves …
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April 23, 2015 at 2:08 pm -
Surely the Social Services would be the first port of call, and lo… it has already come to pass…
https://fullfact.org/sites/fullfact.org/files/styles/large/public/public%20spending%20per%20head%20comparison%20graph%20uk.JPG?itok=SWWsns45-
April 23, 2015 at 2:17 pm -
fandabidozi !!!
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April 23, 2015 at 7:53 pm -
Well, Lassie, that says a lot about your family life!
Scotland has 8% of the UK population, but produced 9% of the UK’s total tax revenue in 2012/3; the average tax paid per head in Scotland was £10K – in England £9.2K. That year, Scotland produced £53bn in tax revenues. (From here.)
In 2013/4,thanks to the low price of oil, our tax revenues dropped to £50.4bn, so our per head tax contribution was £300 lower than the UK average; our perhead of public spending rose to above the UK average (part of this high spending is accounted for by the fact that Scotland has a higher than average older population). However, oil prices go up and down with some regularity; I don’t have the figures to hand but I’d guess that overall, we *have* paid our fair share of the rent!-
April 23, 2015 at 9:02 pm -
You made the classic mistake of counting the whole of the oil revenue as ‘ours’. Secondly, you need to count the net proceeds per capita, not separate income and expenditure – even if your figures are correct, which they probably aren’t. So many people are employed by the state – OK, everywhere – on over-inflated salaries and their tax payment isn’t as real as anyone who works outside the state sector.
Just how long would a hostile Scotland keep the rigs, I wonder, with SNP’s commitment to defence? (And it is equally wrong to just count the state spend per person and to rant on about the Barnett Formula. Many big banks relocated to Scotland, and a bunch of millionaires skew the per capita income in a way they don’t for a population 10x larger – they got bailed out big time, carried on getting their huge bonusses, and that counts in your figures too.
Count the bail outs for RBS and HBOS?
I have to say that most English antipathy to the Scots is reactive – antipathy to their anti-Englishness, as most English folk can’t get worked up about a few hundred quid here and there.
If the Scots got independence, and prospered, then I for one would be highly delighted. It’s my dream.
Oh, and I’m Scottish by the way, and dysfunctional families are the norm in Glasgow. Jings, Crivens Help ma boab!
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April 23, 2015 at 3:19 pm -
I agree with the assessment of N. Sturgeon- we know what she stands for, & it really doesn’t matter if the SNP are poor at running Scotland, or their policies ruinous. She shows determination & purpose; Clegg, Miliband, & Cameron just don’t, though Cameron has the suit, or aura of office, for now.
I think the future has already been set; regardless of the referendum Scotland is inevitably on it’s way out and we need to find a way to make it happen with the least damage to RUK. It’s not about whether it’s a good for the Scots or not, that’s their problem.
The last thing we need is our country being brought to it’s knees by an eternal coalition of extreme left SNP and Unite’s Labour, with opportunist help from Clegg’s posh labour. We also do not need to be bled dry by the SNP for decades before the inevitable happens.
I do think we need to learn from what was set in train by the establishment of the Scottish Assembly & accelerated by the promises given to secure the referendum result. My uninformed thought is that England as the major party should seek confirmation from a significant majority of the electorates of Wales, Scotland & N.I. that they wish to remain, which we would prefer.
If this support is not forthcoming , the expectation is that we would cooperate in freeing them to shift for themselves.
Just a view, & yes I know it couldn’t happen, but wouldn’t it draw the teeth of the SNP dragon.-
April 23, 2015 at 4:50 pm -
“Unite’s Labour” is still a bit more democratic than this lot’s Conservatives:
http://www.itv.com/news/2012-03-26/donor-dinners-which-conservatives-paid-what-to-meet-the-camerons/
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April 23, 2015 at 9:21 pm -
You may be right Peter, what do I know? I have no illusions about any of them.
However, I gave up socialism in my early 20’s; unions at 40, & I don’t see much reason to reconsider.
And I’m afraid our own style of democracy is likely to lead to some unfortunate consequences, for all of us, & quite soon.
Time for a reform of the system perhaps?
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April 23, 2015 at 10:33 pm -
“It’s not about whether it’s a good for the Scots or not, that’s their problem.”
But what about the Scots that live in the rest of the UK, they didn’t get any say and probably won’t in the future.
Personally I think the rise of SNP is the part of the general anti-Westminster meme. It’s a lot easier to draw a line south of Edinburgh but it could well be drawn south of Enfield too.
The real ‘enemy’ is the EU, it effectively sets the policy for ALL our parties, which is why they are all essentially the same. If the SNP really was for independence it would be all for opting out of the EU, rather than being its greatest fan. A regionalised UK is exactly what the EU wants, a whole stack of little fish in a big pool incapable of controlling the EU Commission.
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April 24, 2015 at 7:25 am -
JimS, I don’t know what you do about the expat Scots, I guess they’ve already made a choice, as did my mother’s lowlands family.
I don’t know what a meme is. My suggestion of seeking confirmation of the electorates of the parts of the UK that they want to stay is a lot better than letting opportunists generate a head of steam for their separatist dreams. Take the initiative rather than be on the defensive. I do think we’d do better together, but we can’t forever be having the debate or paying bribes.
On the eu, I agree entirely, a good idea that has developed a life of it’s own & gone rogue. I really can’t see any upsides, & feel an urgent need to shake messrs Clegg, Blair & Old Ken Clarke. Shake them very hard.-
April 24, 2015 at 8:26 am -
And shake them by the throat!
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April 24, 2015 at 9:48 am -
Interesting article here:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/07/18/uk-scotland-independence-expats-insight-idUKKBN0FN0FM20140718
For the SNP, however, the reason for defining the electorate as anyone over 15 who registers permanent residence in Scotland by Sept. 2 is to focus on those who have committed to a future in the country, which the party argues will be more prosperous and more socially egalitarian than under rule from London.“It’s a new kind of nationalism,” said Christian Allard, a Frenchman who sits for the SNP in the Scottish parliament. “A nationalism that has nothing to with where you are born, or what accent you have or what religion or culture you belong to.”
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April 23, 2015 at 8:56 pm -
I have an image, post election, of a naked PM Ed Milliband on his knees, being anally rogered by Nicola Sturgeon with a strap-on while he is giving a blow job to an exuberant McCluskey, beneath a sign proclaiming that our future is secure under Labour. It appears that such is politics in 2015.
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April 23, 2015 at 9:44 pm -
Have you sneaked an advance viewing of the closing graphics of next week’s Conservative party political broadcast ? I think we should be told.
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April 23, 2015 at 10:17 pm -
Being completely apolitical it was a vision of a possible horrendous near dystopian future. To add to my fears is the thought that a simple move in legislation could mean an end to the 5yearly popularity contests with the party (ies) in power at the time remaining there. Perhaps Private Frazer was right all along.
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April 23, 2015 at 11:26 pm -
She’ll say whatever it takes. Her favourite TV show is Borgen.
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April 24, 2015 at 10:33 am -
What policies of Nicola Sturgeon do you actually like? Or is it just the fact she has a vagina? (I say fact but it’s never actually been proven).
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